Ted Cruz hasn't distanced himself from Steve King — once a valuable ally — in final days of race against Beto O’Rourke
King has long made inflammatory comments on race, ethnicity and immigration. Full Story
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Patrick Svitek
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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Past Contributions
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![Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, greets Sen. Ted Cruz at King's annual pheasant hunt at the Hole N' the Wall Lodge in Akron, Iowa on Saturday, October 31, 2015.]()
Credit: Rebecca F. Miller -
Beto O'Rourke's 1998 DWI arrest featured in Republican super PAC TV ad
A GOP super PAC, ESAFund, has gone on TV with a commercial invoking Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke's 1998 drunk-driving arrest. Full Story
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![Beto O'Rourke's early voting rally in San Jacinto Plaza and walking through downtown to vote at the county courthouse in El Paso on Mar. 2, 2018.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
In getting out the vote, Cruz turns to Abbott's infrastructure while O'Rourke builds his own
It's get-out-the-vote time in the U.S. Senate race, and both sides are going different routes to turn out their voters. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso (left), and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: Rodolfo Gonzalez: O'Rourke/Marjorie Kamys Cotera: Cruz -
Beto O'Rourke received threatening messages from pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc, his campaign says
State Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, was also told by the FBI that the suspected bomber had researched him. Full Story
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![Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks during a town hall meeting in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
In U.S. Senate race, both sides take heart in massive early voting numbers
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep Beto O'Rourke, each believe high voter turnout holds promise for their respective campaigns. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, left, faces U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in debate at the KENS 5 Studios in San Antonio on October 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News/POOL -
Why the candidates are arguing more about health care than Trump in Texas' top races for Congress
With early voting underway, health care is enduring as a central issue in Texas' most competitive contests for the U.S. House. Full Story
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![Top: Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, Democratic challenger for CD-7 and U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston; middle: Colin Allred, Democratic challenger for CD-32 and U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas; bottom: Gina Ortiz Jones, Democratic challenger for CD-23 and U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by John Jordan -
Senate race tops $100 million with latest filings from Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic opponent, Beto O'Rourke, have now raised more than $100 million combined. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (left) and U.S. Rep Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad: Cruz/Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson: O'Rourke -
New anti-Ted Cruz super PAC launches, announces $1.2 million ad buy
The ad campaign from Texas Forever represents the largest infusion of outside spending yet against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as he battles Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, (left) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at the first of their debates, in Dallas on Sept. 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
In notable shift, Attorney General Ken Paxton begins TV offensive against Democratic opponent
Ken Paxton, the GOP attorney general, has begun running a TV ad against his Democratic opponent, Justin Nelson, who has been hammering Paxton over his 2015 indictment on securities fraud charges. Full Story
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![Justin Nelson (left) is the Democratic nominee facing incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Joan Brook: Nelson/Bob Daemmrich: Paxton -
At Houston re-election rally, Donald Trump mocks Beto O'Rourke and praises Ted Cruz as a key ally
Trump called O'Rourke a "stone cold phony." Full Story
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![President Donald J. Trump at a MAGA rally at the Toyota Center in Houston on Oct. 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune